Endless Legend 2 Early Access Review – Into the Deep

The true majesty of the 4X strategy genre only became apparent with Amplitude Studios’ Endless Legend. It packed incredible lore surrounding the Endless, a uniquely fun scenario (Auriga in the midst of destruction) and offered several fun ways to play courtesy of its myriad factions.

However, as the studio ventured more into supporting Endless Space 2 and delivering Endless Dungeon, my dreams of a proper sequel, one that built on the wonderful mix of fantasy civilization-building and sci-fi weirdness, felt like a distant dream. Even with the official announcement of Endless Legend 2, I was skeptical whether it contained the magic that drew me to it in the first place. Good news, though – it does, and even in early access, there’s the potential to dwarf Amplitude’s previous efforts.

Auriga, wherever you may be, rest in peace. This time, players explore the lands – but not quite the waters – of Saiadha. Something strange is occurring, and even stranger things stir beneath the surface, acting now to fulfill whatever grand plan they may have. But your origins don’t immediately intersect with them. There are five factions to choose from initially, with a sixth coming at some point during early access: the Kin of Sheredyn, the Last Lords (based on Broken Lords from the first game), the Aspects, the Tahuks and, perhaps my favorite, the Necrophage. Each of these caters to a specific style of play – the Kin are more suited for fortifying one’s city, the Necrophage favor conquest, and so on.

But the distinctions run much deeper. The Necrophage, for example, have risen to the surface, no longer keen on remaining in the shadows. The High Matriarch, She-Who-Sustains-Us, remains in the background while Prime, One-Who-Stalks-Afar, leads the charge to consume all of Saiadha. While this may lend to a more mindless approach, I found the Prime to be somewhat amenable to dealing with outside individuals. So when an Ancient Ametrine called Pyrite suddenly emerged, offering to teach the old ways of war, a path to unlock a notable +2 exploited Resource Production on Mines opened up. Then again, interrogating it for other bonuses to the Swarm was another option.

Diplomacy is also something that the Necrophage can become adept in. Maybe it was because the Tahuks were devious, had an escape plan or didn’t fear us, but we went from Shared Research to a Non-Aggression Pact and Cartography Exchange – which revealed more details on other factions – in short order. And it didn’t even cost much by way of Dust.

Of course, it’s not long before the Necrophage’s true calling emerges, sometimes quite literally. With only one city to call their own, the goal is to slay their enemies, create Larva to proliferate their forces, and generate corpses to specialize them further. They’re also very good at getting around thanks to Burrows, so it becomes as easy to strike a wayward faction and escape as it does to instantly funnel an excess amount of forces across land masses to raze their cities to the ground.

That’s only one part that makes Endless Legend 2 so endearing. The usual 4X gameplay loop is in place and quite robust – upon establishing a city, you build districts to exploit the strategic resources on each tile, earning Dust (the universal currency), Science (for researching new tech), Industry (for construction, city improvements, and whatnot), and Food (for expanding one’s population). There’s also Influence, used for foundations to build further districts on and Luxury Resources, which facilitate more specialized uses. As you progress, options to convert resources, enhance your city, and more will become available. Districts develop further as they’re surrounded by other districts, and the Nest grows, much to the horror of everyone else.

However, you’re not restricted to simply expansion and city management, like deciding where to allocate population members to exploit resources and eventually appointing a City Council (and yes, the humor of these warmongering bug-like beings occupying important stately seats doesn’t escape me). Exploration and uncovering more of the map, whether it’s discovering minor factions who could provide further benefits upon completing their quests or delicious fresh corpses if you prefer decimation, is key. Discoveries offer small boosts to your resources, progressing you even further through the tech tree and towards a new year with new technologies. Whether that means exploring new agricultural developments or unlocking even more devastating units is up to you.

If that weren’t enough, Saiadha’s changing nature must be taken into account. It all begins with the Monsoons, which obstruct the tile visibility range, making it more difficult to keep track of threats (which works both ways, meaning some cheeky Burrow exploitation), but also results in more plentiful resources for a limited time. Then there’s the Tidefall. Sea levels recede and new areas become available. Some points of interest could host dangerous new threats but provide worthwhile rewards. There’s also the fact that the various major factions are no longer separated by water, making it that much easier to venture forth and wage war.

It’s an intriguing mechanic that opens up the mid-game. While you need to prepare accordingly – and also manage any further changes in weather with some degree of forecast – the Tidefall keeps things interesting and fresh.

One of the biggest criticisms surrounding the original Endless Legend was the combat. It just didn’t feel as snappy or intuitive as one would have liked. Endless Legend 2 streamlines things significantly, opting for more rudimentary turns, but the overall speed and responsiveness feel great. Using terrain, be it high ground or forests, and designating specific squads depending on the hero’s specialty becomes important.

This pseudo-RPG approach of slowly building up a squad, specializing my units into Necrodrones to fly over obstacles unimpeded or Spitters for ranged damage, and then specializing those even further (at the cost of extensive corpses and Dust) adds a welcome layer of strategy and planning. You can also denote another hero as a friend, thus granting more damage when they fight together. And as always, there’s a rush to discovering new equipment and receiving a nice little power spike – or realizing that it doesn’t work for your hero and cursing accordingly.

All of this only scratches the surface of what Endless Legend 2 has to offer, but there are definitely some areas which could be improved upon further. The UI when managing cities and building districts could be a little sleeker and less crowded, though you can zoom out extensively for a much better view. Sometimes, my units would attack enemies while swapping to a different tile – not exactly the best tactic when I’m trying to maximize a terrain’s benefits. I like the aesthetic, but it feels like there’s more room for the presentation to grow in the environmental detail and dialogue.

These are minor quibbles, at least for now. At its core, Endless Legend 2 not only satisfies that itch for one more turn but also for proper set-up and preparation for what future turns could hold. It’s incrementally fulfilling and continually escalates throughout thanks to the Tidefall. Here’s hoping Amplitude can supplant it further and deliver a 4X experience that truly surpasses the original.

This game was reviewed on PC.